


Too Often Burned

by CoffeeMinx



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age II
Genre: Adult Language, Alternate Universe - Dark, An Even More Depressing Kirkwall Than Normal, Angst, Character Study, Depression, Drabble, Fair-weather Friends, Gen, References to Canon, References to Major Plot Points of the Video Game, Sadness, references to canonical deaths
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-23
Updated: 2016-09-23
Packaged: 2018-08-16 20:28:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 357
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8116417
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CoffeeMinx/pseuds/CoffeeMinx
Summary: Several of these things happened to my Hawke on my first DA2 play-through. I was like, geez, this poor girl's life sucks. 
So this is an embellishment of that experience.... and an examination of why she chose to do what she did.





	

Hawke’s mother had died reminding her she’d taken Bethany to her death in the Deep Roads. She’d looked Hawke in the eye and said she wished that Carver were here.

Fenris had fucked her once, immediately broken up with her by saying sex was just too much for him, and then somehow turned right around and had sex—repeatedly—with Isabela. 

Isabela, whom she’d protected and fought for, laughed and drank with, who never bothered to mention she was the sole reason the Qunari were threatening Kirkwall. Isabela, who got what she wanted and left both Hawke and the city to burn.

Varric had always said wonderful things to Hawke’s face, but more and more often the tales he told behind her back led to people in the pubs and the shops and the streets peering at her askance, whispering slurs behind their hands and pointing when they thought she couldn’t see. When she’d asked, he only said ‘complex’ and ‘flawed’ heroes made for the best stories. So she pretended not to be a real girl with fragile feelings.

Merrill was kind, but she preferred to spend time with her other friends. First Isabela, then Varric, who introduced her to this exciting world upon whose exploration she had newly embarked. Hawke had no golden tales, only memories of darkspawn and familial betrayal and death. So she didn’t speak.

Aveline had been close, but she and Hawke had drifted apart after Aveline’s marriage to Donnic. Hawke understood. Aveline was busy with job things and relationship things and there just wasn’t any time left over. 

So when Anders, the only person who ever proactively asked her how she was—not often, but enough times so that she knew _he saw her_ , sat on that crate and admitted to what he’d done… and how he hadn’t told her because he wanted to protect her…

She did not stab him in the back.

Instead, Hawke embraced her ‘complex,’ ‘flawed’, and apparently unloveable nature, and told him to _stand up, dammit_ , and help her defend the mages.

And that was how the Champion of Kirkwall became the bane of the Chantry’s existence.


End file.
